As All-Star voting heats up, one spot in the lineup seems to be locked up. Jose Altuve, last year’s A.L. MVP leads his peers in voting results by more than one million votes.
Reigning AL MVP @JoseAltuve27 has taken over as the @MLB overall leader in fan balloting, while @RaysBaseball catcher Wilson Ramos has surpassed Gary Sanchez of the @Yankees behind the plate. Visit https://t.co/Jd6REEkFYI to vote. #MLBVote pic.twitter.com/rPt4XQFrZI
— MLB Communications (@MLB_PR) June 19, 2018
It isn’t a surprise to see him tops in voting. given his resume and Houston’s success this season. The Astros are in the midst of a 12-game win streak and their second leads the league in hits (102) and batting average (.342).
Yet Altuve’s lead is remarkable. New York Yankees second baseman Gleyber Torres has been phenomenal as a rookie with 13 home runs, 34 RBI and a .892 OPS in his first 49 games in the majors. New York also boasts an equally strong fan base who have the power to get him in.
The rallying power of Houston fans has made any potential challenge over though. Altuve will start at second base in this year’s All-Star Game, now it’s just a question of how big a margin he wins by in the polls.